teenager difficulties? please help x

Hiya all,
well its been a while since i posted on here and things have improved i think however i am getting increasingly concerned as alot of people are telling me that by Oscars age 12 months nearly he shud of stopped the unwanted behaviour and i wont be able to correct it now. They think i have an 'aggresive dog' and cant trust him with my children i felt we were doing alright and that we were seeing improvements so this has really dented my confidence in my ability to be the trainer that Oscar needs. I love oscar and so do both my children and when hes good he is so soppy and cuddly. He is biting though which i know is not good, his bites dont hurt that much but seem to mainly be when hes being told made to do somthing he doesnt want to do ie 'off/ leave' and he stands his ground so i will have to move him say if hes on the sofa and then he will growl amd grubble then snap and or knaw on my hand or he may stand his ground and bark at me jumping towards me, i generaly respond with a stern'NO' as firm as i can master and take him for time out. I really hope im doing this right as i know i cant afford to get it wrong, we have mastered most walking issues with him he doesnt pull much and knows all his commands, sit, stay, lie down etc and in training he is like the worlds best dogs lol but then if he doesnt like what hes told or gets too excited he jumps up and then the biting starts. I just want some advice really and im hoping that im not the only one whos dog has become like this as i want him and love him and cant begin to imagine not being able to keep him. Is it a teenage thing and will it improve i know people can only advise and give their opinions but i just need to know that its going to get better, i feel like ive done pretty rubbish at this so far and im worried im running out of time to put it right. Thankyou in advance, Michelle and Oscar x

Hey, have you worked with a trainer? Think it would be good to get one in personally, this is innapropriate behaviour and should be seen in person really. Not to make you worry, but any form of biting should be seen in person, not advised over the internet

I have seen a behaviourist twice now but think im gona have to see one again. I just wanted to know if anyone else had experienced this really, and if it got better, somtimes i can feel a bit overwhelmed with him. Wish i could find a profesional more local really so i could keep intouch on a more frequent basis. Thankyou x

Yes I have experienced this and it does get better providing you are
consistent.  Oscar is still a baby at 12 months old, I believe a Staffie
is fully mature at about 3 years of age, and I know thats when Harry
became less of a little pain.   
He is 'testing' you just like teenagers do. I know I certainly tested my parents when I was one   
I also remember how I often felt embarrassed by my boys behaviour and like you felt I was rubbish at bringing him up. Unfortunately they can be quite a handful when young and this is often the reason they end up abandoned
at this stage.  Hang in there, keep doing what you are doing and it will
pay off, you have already managed to train him with his various commands and time and patience plus
being consistent, and of course lots of love, will win.

Best of Luck 

It does sound like typical teenage behaviour that can improve with proper guidance. It's hard to advise without seeing the behaviour but Suki was alot like this. She is allowed on the furniture so no issue for us there. She would nip when being told off. It was harder for us becasue I encouraged rough play with me so she sometimes got confused. The best method is back to basics and to ensure everyone is enforcing the same rules every time.

Also would be helpfull to know what he is fed and what his exersing and training routines are. A low quality food or lack of exercise and mental stimulation can increase bad behaviour as they lead to excess energy or attention seeking behaviour. Suki will grab something like a shoe she knows she isn't allowed if she has built up energy from lack of exercise due to weather or a schedule change.

Oh thankyou so much Lizzie, i nearly cried with the relief reading your reply, it makes such a difference to me knowing that its not just me and Oscar. I am goinv to ring our behaviourist again and see what he thinks but i feel much more confident knowing that u also experienced similar and have got through it i had never had a dog until we got Oscar though my partener at the time had and unfortunatly my relationship ended just befor xmas and Oscar stayed with me and the children which i have found a bit daunting having never done it befor. I really do appreciate the replies and feel more positive about it again. Thankyou

Hi JStaff, I feed him James well beloved juniour dry food which he seems to enjoy, when we got him at around 6 weeks he was on bakers puppy food and pets at home puppy pate but our vet told us that it wasnt very nurishing food and to gradualy weene him onto james well belived which we did and hes been on it since. He goes on two half hour walks a day on a normal day somtimes three and then long walks few hours when we go out as a family probably once a fortnight.

so pleased to read you are feeling more positive after reading lizzie's posts,at that age they can test you to the limits,just keep up with the training and if you can try upping the length of his walks,he's got so much energy so tiring him out will help   

Thankyou for all your replies, i just worry where its going to lead too if i cant get it sorted. I was having alot of problems walking him a few months ago as he was getting carried away bitting the lead and jumping and bitting me too so the behaviourist sugested trying smaller walks and then once hes walking nicer extending them so we have gone up to half hour walks now and thibk we have only had two bitting episodes whilst out in the last 3 months so thats a bit better as i was getting afraid to walk him which was compounding the issues. Does anyone have any advice on how to restrain him when hes bitting or lead him to histime out when he is having a bad episode cus when i get his collar he goes really crazy about it but its the only way i can control him as hes getting quite strong now. X

gizzy is 4 yrs and still gets over excited and jumps on you -- jessie j is 1 yr and tries play biting your hand to get you to play - not a bite but would be scary for someone who doesnt know her / also started grumbling when on sofa and you disturb her so nipping that in bud --- every day is about boundries and teaching them right from wrong like kids --- to me as long as oscar isnt viscious towards you or others then hes being a typical pup

He does somtimes seem viscious but that maybe because of my lack of knowledge and not reading all the signs properly, he seems to me like a big bossy boots trying to insist on play and somtimes when making him carry out comands he has a go at me and snaps to show me he didnt appreciate me putting my foot down. I maybe wrong but that is how it seems to me. I imagine if he really wanted to bite he could probably hurt quite alot now as hes nearly a year and quite big being a cross so hopfuly thats a goodish sign that he doesnt really want to hurt just get his point across. But either way i need to get it to stop.

I love him but gosh is it hard work lol i just hope more than anything else that i have what it takes to sort it, i dont mindnif it takes years as long as i know i will get there in the end. Its not helpful that most people i know dont do dogs and have a fixed opinion that bull breeds are dangerous so the constant negativity makes u wonder in the end if it will work out. Thanks tho for getting back to me x

Hi again Michelle,  you sound a little stressed so I hope what I say will
stop you from worrying    I haven't seen Oscar but everything you have
described is normal pushy behaviour from a youngster.  Its in no way Vicious and he does not want to hurt you!  Please believe me you would
most definitely know the difference.
Its not a battle of wills either. Oscar is attention seeking and any attention will do, even a good telling
off is attention    When Harry was a youngster he would have a go at
my feet or steal something, maybe my slipper, or do something he knew
was naughty when I was chatting on the phone.  My friends got used to
me saying "hold on a minute while I sort the dog out".  When I thought
about it I realised I was responding how he wanted me to, I had stopped
chatting and was paying attention to him instead!  So I ignored his bad
behaviour (hard as it was at first to do it) and it stopped.
The other thing I learned was that you have to control with your voice
and not manhandle a dog to get it to do what you want. So when you want him to have 'time out' you should send him out.
Oscar sounds bored and has stored energy that is coming out in the wrong way because he doesn't understand any other.  As well as increasing his
walks I would suggest you spend some time on making him use his brain.
This will tire him out a lot more.  With Harry I played 'find it' by putting him out of the room and hiding small treats, under coffee table leg, behind
chair, that sort of thing, and then let him in whilst telling him to find it.
If you give him his food in a bowl, change to stuffing his JWM kibble in a
Kong, mixed with something like yoghurt, and give him that to work on
and keep him occupied for longer. Do you give him marrowbones? A bone
can keep him occupied and chewing releases any stress a dog may have. (but don't leave him alone with it)
 Also, spend 10 minutes every couple of
hours training him with little tricks.  Harry does, high five, spin, play dead,
gives paw and other paw, speak and so on.  All of this takes just a little
amount of time but helps enormously, and it will strengthen your bond with
Oscar.
You also need to find a word to stop him when biting the lead and that
sort of thing.  No or ah ah never worked with Harry but 'enough' said
in a deep voice worked a treat.  
Dogs use their mouths like children use hands, and what Oscar is doing
is 'mouthing' not biting and again he is probably continuing with it because
it is getting him rewarded with attention.
Sorry if I have gone on a bit, but I do know what its like and how much it
can get you down, especially as you are a new dog owner.  I was very tested with Harry, and I had 5 staffs before him and thought I knew it all  
IT WILL GET BETTER I PROMISE   

Lizzie xx

Thankyou Lizzie and everyone whos replied and helped, your right i was getting bit bogged down with it all, i feel alot better now tho so thanks for your message. Iv made a daily 'to do' list with set things like more training and longer walks so i can actualy see how much and make sure were getting them done and then fingers crossed a happy, satisfied staffy shud make for a good wellbehaved staffy ( well most the time lol). Thanyou again x